Dissertation Writing: Time Management Hints

    


  1. Set Goals
  2. Once you know the deadline for your dissertation, try setting goals that break the long-form writing project up into realistic chunks. Establish personal deadlines for yourself so that you have goals based on where you want to be by a certain point. For example, if your dissertation is due in November and you begin writing it on September 1st, decide how much you should have done by the end of September. Your goals may be as simple as "Have the outline completed by September 22nd" or as specific has "Have the outline completed, edited, and facts verified by 12:00pm September 22nd".

    Either way breaking your dissertation up into more "do-able" pieces makes it a lot easier to complete within the allotted amount of time. Goal setting is also an effective strategy for avoiding procrastination and assuring that you stay on the right track.

  3. Schedule Time To Work On Your Dissertation


  4. Chances are that along with writing your dissertation you will also have a regular semesters worth of coursework as well as other commitments. For this reason it is important that you schedule specific time to work on your dissertation. Basically, along with everything else that you need to get done, you have to find time to prioritize your paper or else it will never get finished. 

A quality dissertation requires over 100 hours of work! So it is a good idea to create a schedule to make sure that you dedicate time for writing.

  5. Find A Partner To Work With
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    Setting up goals and making a schedule is all fine and dandy but if you don't have someone holding you to your obligations you may find yourself avoiding your commitments. This is why it is a good idea to find a peer or mentor to keep you focused. 


    Look for a mentor in your College or Universities faculty to check in with your progress and help with the writing process. Or, you can enlist a peer who is also working on their own dissertation to work along with you so that you can help inspire one another to get it done.

  7. Keep Your Eye On The Goal!

  8. Dissertation writing isn't easy, but it is the last step in achieving your final goal. If the faculty committee accepts your dissertation then you will earn your PhD. All of your hard work and dedication will be eventually pay off. When you first start writing it may seem like an impossible ambition. However, if you keep your eye on the goal and remind yourself of your aspirations every day, you will be able to stay motivated enough to get it done.

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